Hoa Phuong Guesthouse

We were exhausted after a full day riding motorcycles, so despite the misleading listing, we decided to stay. Booking.com described the place as an entire apartment with a balcony, but it was a room in a family house with no balcony, right by the highway in what seemed to us the worst part of the city. There wasn’t even a grocery store nearby. After unloading all our things from the motorcycles, we went for a ten-minute walk. The door lock didn’t work, but since we were the only guests, we trusted the homeowners and left. That was a huge mistake. The lady had gone into our room, which I could tell because I always arrange things to check whether anyone has been in. When confronted, she admitted it. We were utterly exhausted, but packed everything again and found somewhere else because our privacy had been violated. Later, we found out she’d complained to Booking.com that we hadn’t paid, even though she had misrepresented the property, entered our room, and we hadn’t stayed. The audacity.

The room was spacious and clean, with a really good hot shower. The service was lovely, and everyone was so helpful and kind that you immediately feel like you’re visiting family. They even let me have dinner though it was already quite late.

I stayed with this lovely host family on my bicycle trip from Hanoi to Da Nang. The place is just outside town, which suited me on a bike and made it quieter. It was super clean, and they had secure bicycle parking. They cooked me a vegetarian dinner and put together a quick breakfast for my early start the next morning. The family are fun and sweet, and the guest house was great and very affordable. I loved the whole visit and would definitely recommend staying.

The owners are friendly and really thoughtful. When my bicycle lock broke, they cleared a spot near their house so I could park the bike. This is my second stay here, and as a long-distance solo bicycle tourer who’s used plenty of hostels, I think it’s one of the best values around. The room without AC costs 170K, which works well for me, and meals are 30K-50K. I ordered Mi Xao and got a surprisingly large portion with lots of vegetables. If I pass through Dong Ha again, I’ll stay here. Best value in town!